


smile only for me

by Rethira



Category: Tales of Xillia 2
Genre: M/M, Sibling Incest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-15
Updated: 2014-09-15
Packaged: 2018-02-17 12:31:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2309756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rethira/pseuds/Rethira
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Maybe this is happiness.</p>
            </blockquote>





	smile only for me

**Author's Note:**

> bad end spoilers like _whoa_

They stop for a newspaper in Aladhi Seahaven; the headline says _NO NEW LEADS IN MASS MURDER AT MARKSBURG_ , and there’s a bad picture of Ludger underneath with a caption saying _have you seen this man?_ The terrible quality of the picture is probably all that keeps Aladhi’s local guards from arresting them on the spot. Even so, several people squint at them in almost recognition, and Ludger doesn’t protest when Julius suggests they camp out in the wilderness instead of staying at the inn.

There are thieves out of town. Ludger doesn’t even bother with his guns; he kills them. Like he killed-

“They would have killed you,” Ludger says. _You_. Like he doesn’t matter at all.

Julius doesn’t ask if Ludger’s talking about the thieves, or if he’s talking about-

Well. It doesn’t really matter. They would have killed Julius. And he would’ve... let them.

Ludger falls asleep with his head pillowed on Julius’ thigh. “I killed your mother,” Julius tells him. Ludger shifts a little in his sleep, and clutches at Julius’ clothes. “I guess this is... all my fault.” Ludger frowns but doesn’t wake up. “Who’d have thought my cute little brother could do this?”

Rollo meows, and that’s all the response Julius gets.

 

It’s all everyone can talk about – so many dead. Too many dead. And now, they say, now there’s evidence that the culprits fled into Rieze Maxia. It’s almost funny, how they keep calling Ludger an assassin. Just because he killed such important people. None of them would ever understand the reason why.

Honestly, Julius doesn’t really get it himself.

He buys Ludger some hair dye and thinks about getting them both some masks. It sure would help a lot. Or maybe people in masks are _more_ suspicious? Hm, well, it’ll be a moot point soon enough. Can’t walk around with a blackened face after all.

The first soldiers catch up to them that night. Julius is a little slow to wake up, but Ludger isn’t. The first soldier goes down to a sword through his chest, and the second to a gun at point blank range. And then it’s a mess – guns and swords and finally a sickening _crunch_ as Ludger’s hammer hits the final soldier square in the chest.

“You’ll never get away with this,” the soldier wheezes.

Julius can’t see Ludger’s expression from where he is, but he can hear the smile in his voice when Ludger says, “I’ll never let anyone kill Julius.”

 

There are more soldiers. And then Spirius agents too, and Ludger mows them all down. They leave a trail of corpses behind them, and it makes Julius sick to think that he’s driven Ludger to _this_.

Ludger buys a mask in Xian Du. Just one mask, and it fits Ludger better than it fits Julius. He buys hair dye too. Not his usual black, one nearer to Julius’ hair colour. It looks all wrong on him, but Ludger says, “Just for a little while, Julius,” and buys a bottle of black dye too.

No-one pays attention to them as they leave the city. No-one watches as they traverse the Mon Highlands. No-one and nothing sees Ludger lead Julius through the Silent Cave, but it’s only because Ludger cuts the throat of anything that might have watched.

There’s a little patch of flowers beyond the cave. Ludger kneels down, takes the mask off, and says, “Elize lived here before her parents died,” and then he cries, great huge sobs, his body shaking with the force of them, and it’s all Julius can do to hold him. “What have I done?” Ludger asks, through his tears. “What have I done?”

 

Eventually, Ludger takes Julius to a different place. It’s just as out of the way as the flower patch, but warmer, greener. They build a little house – well, Ludger does most of the building. Most of the fetching and carrying too, travelling all over Rieze Maxia to get supplies, and leaving Julius behind to look after Rollo.

Maybe this is what it felt like for Ludger. It’s nice.

The house gets cold at night, and Ludger only makes one bed anyway, so they end up sleeping in it together, wrapped in each other as much as they’re wrapped in the blankets. Rollo sleeps on the pillows next to them, or curled up next to the fireplace. He’s lost a bit of weight, but now Ludger brings home bags and bags of Kitty Krisps so that’ll probably change soon enough.

Maybe it’s strange for them to be a pair of fugitives and still worrying about their cat. Maybe it’s strange for fugitives to build a house and plant tomatoes all around it.

Maybe they’re strange.

Ludger doesn’t talk about the others anymore. Ludger hasn’t mentioned Elle since before he killed-

Maybe this is a kind of happiness.

 

Ludger doesn’t need to tell Julius about the bodies. No-one bothers them at their house, but Ludger comes home with blood on his clothes often enough that Julius doesn’t have to ask. Spirius wouldn’t stop looking for them that easily. _Bisley_ wouldn’t stop looking for them that easily.

But Ludger’s smart. He doesn’t lead them home. And everyone in a unit dies. No survivors. After all, what’s a handful of people to an entire dimension? Even with all the people Ludger’s killed in Julius’ defence, Julius has still killed more.

He’s even killed Ludger a few times. So really, who’s the monster here?

It was always going to be him.

 

Ludger comes home messier than usual; he’s been gone over a week, and Julius has been so worried he’s barely eaten. There’s mud and blood stuck in Ludger’s hair, and dried blood on his face, and he looks at Julius and says, “You’re safe,” just before passing out.

Julius sighs and murmurs, “What have you done this time, Ludger?”

When Ludger wakes up, he reaches up and touches Julius’ face. His thumb brushes over Julius’ cheekbone, and he smiles. “You’re safe,” he repeats, like it’s the only thing that matters. “You’re safe.” He sits up, and it’s so easy to let him when Ludger’s lips brush against Julius’. It’s so easy to let Ludger kiss him.

It feels right.

 

Ludger didn’t pull the curtains all the way shut. There’s a stream of moonlight all down his side. Every time Ludger moves, the moonlight plays across his skin. He’s groan softly, and the moonlight moves as Ludger breaths, just like it moves when Ludger tenses his thighs and slowly eases _up_.

The moonlight makes the blackness of Julius’ skin look even worse than usual, but he’s not going to let go. He pulls Ludger down again, at the same time as his hips thrust _up_ , and Ludger all but shouts, his short, blunt nails digging briefly into Julius’ shoulders.

“J-Julius,” Ludger moans, and he looks _wrecked_ , ruined, debauched. Guilt blooms fiercely in Julius’ chest, but there’s a curl of pride alongside it. _He_ did this to Ludger. _He_ did this.

“I know,” Julius replies, and he wraps his hand around Ludger’s erection. Ludger’s eyes flutter shut at the sensation; he bucks into Julius’ hand, then back against Julius’ cock, torn between the two until he finally whines and spills over Julius’ stomach.

“I love you,” Ludger murmurs, and that’s enough for Julius too. “I lov- I love you so much.”

“Me too,” Julius whispers, kissing Ludger’s hair. “Me too.”

 

The tomatoes stop growing.

 

Ludger broke all the mirrors a while ago, so Julius doesn’t know what he looks like anymore. It probably reached his face a while ago, and his arm and chest look... wrong. There are even streaks of black reaching over to his other arm now.

So Julius isn’t very surprised when he opens the door to find-

Well, it’s not his Ludger. And there are dead people behind him too. At least, they died for him.

“Ludger,” Julius says, smiling. “Why don’t you come in?”

The others stay outside, although Julius isn’t sure if that’s for courtesy or not. He makes Ludger some tea, and guides Ludger into sitting down, and then he says, “You’ll have to make it quick. I don’t know when Ludger will be back, but it will be better if you don’t meet him.”

This Ludger starts crying. Ludger always was very cute when he cried, and it’s no hardship to gently hug him. “Don’t be too sad, brother. I’m dead already.” He hums a little, and this Ludger sobs harder, and Julius hardly even feels the lance go through him.

The last thing he sees is Ludger’s face.


End file.
